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This paper calls for systematic inquiry into the relationship between secular governing formations and education inequalities. We present a thematic analysis of existing scholarship on secularism, the secular and post-secular in education. Our review of 184 texts reveals a frequent implicit or explicit reliance on the liberal state to address religious inequalities in education, and to draw the line on the extent of public religious expression. Taking a critical sociological approach, we argue this reliance neglects the state's regulation, as opposed to its elimination, of the violence of multiple education inequalities. Understanding state sovereignty as an assemblage of forces, we illustrate the need for a cohesive body of research into how secular sovereign power "privatises and de-privatises" religiosity through education, and how race, gender and sexuality are shaped as public or private concerns in the process. We conclude with key indicators for a Critical Secular Studies research and curriculum agenda.

BackgroundRecommendations in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) may be reversed when evidence emerges to show they are futile or unsafe. In this study, we identified and characterized recommendation reversals in gastroenterology CPGs.MethodsWe searched CPGs published by 20 gastroenterology societies from January 1990 to December 2019. We included guidelines which had at least two iterations of the same topic. We defined reversals as when (a) the more recent iteration of a CPG recommends against a specific practice that was previously recommend in an earlier iteration of a CPG from the same body, and (b) the recommendation in the previous iteration of the CPG is not replaced by a new diagnostic or therapeutic recommendation in the more recent iteration of the CPG. The primary outcome was the number of recommendation reversals. Secondary outcomes included the strength of recommendations and quality of evidence cited for reversals.ResultsTwenty societies published 1022 CPGs from 1990 to 2019. Our sample for analysis included 129 unique CPGs. There were 11 recommendation reversals from 10 guidelines. New evidence was presented for 10 recommendation reversals. Meta-analyses were cited for two reversals, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for seven reversals. Recommendations were stronger after the reversal for three cases, weaker in two cases, and of similar strength in three cases. We were unable to compare recommendation strengths for three reversals.ConclusionRecommendation reversals in gastroenterology CPGs are uncommon but highlight low value or harmful practices.

The researcher analyzed the Result and Discussion Sections of 10 dissertations of Iranian PhD students and 10 British PhD students by aiming to investigate their use of politeness strategies using Brown and Levinson's (1987) taxonomy and its relationship with the gender of the authors. The results proved that Iranian writers most frequently used negative politeness strategies, followed by positive politeness strategies. British writers, like Iranians, used negative politeness strategies more than the others. The next frequent strategy was positive politeness strategies. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the frequency of politeness strategies used by Persian and British writers. Considering the gender, there is a significant difference between the positive strategies used by male and female Iranians. In fact, unlike the Male Iranian authors who used more positive strategies, the female Iranian authors used fewer strategies and this difference was significant. However, that there was no significant difference between the positive strategies used by British male and female participants. Also, there was a significant difference between the negative strategies used by male and female Iranians. In fact, the results show that the female Iranian authors used fewer strategies and this difference was significant. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the negative strategies used by British male and female participants.

It is thoroughly agreed that English language textbooks stand amongst the foremost components in any language classrooms worldwide, being referred to as valid, beneficial and labor-saving tools to fulfill an extensive range of needs. An ELT textbook is not merely a set of sheets of paper fastened together to hinge at one side, but is the beating heart of any education system whereupon the whole learning revolves. Notwithstanding their interminable benefits, it is admitted that still the compiled textbooks, especially the ones prescribed in Educational systems have to be evaluated and assessed to confirm whether they fulfil the objectives they are meant for or not, as it is said no perfect textbook exists. Having dealt with evaluation in general, this research meticulously elaborates on textbook evaluation more specifically concluding that there is a dearth of inquiry on textbook selection and evaluation. Afterwards, this research introduces the most common approaches for evaluating ELT textbooks and materials. The paper culminates with concluding remarks and implications, hoping to shed light on how textbook evaluation is practiced worldwide.

This paper engages with a dominant model of Islamophobia which gives race and racism primacy. It argues that such an approach is parochial, conceptually narrow and practically ineffective. I take as my case the UK's Muslim student awarding gap -- Muslims are currently the worst performing religious group at UK universities. Existing work explains this problem in terms of racism/Islamophobia. These factors are correctly identified, but a lack of analytical precision around race and religion has led strategies to fall back on 'standard' and largely ineffective ideas. I argue that racial "and religious disadvantage" must be understood separately, though intersectionally, through Critical Race Theory and the concept of 'religification'. Such an analysis sheds light on how institutional approaches to race and religion play a key role in the structuration and perpetuation of educational disadvantage for Muslim students. It also paves the way for more effective strategies for eradicating the awarding gap.

This paper addresses the continued conundrums of racial and religious diversity in education. While social diversity is steadily increasing in Global North countries, there is little evidence of meaningful conviviality. Conversely, despite decades of dedicated multiculturalist policymaking, there is ample evidence of persisting educational disparities affecting pupils from minority backgrounds, as well as de facto segregation inside classrooms. This paper examines two reasons for the ongoing situation. Firstly, we explore the history of ‘intercultural’ approaches to education and demonstrate that they are too detached from the unequal dynamics of social and political life in diverse contexts. Secondly, we employ the concept of ‘museumification’ to show that diversity is often performed and curated, which ultimately keeps dominant structures intact. We conducted multi‐stakeholder participatory research in Birmingham, UK. The research involved several stages and outcomes, including collecting stories from Birmingham denizens with a refugee/immigrant background, working with a celebrated photographer to produce portraits of participants and using these materials to co‐produce educational resources for primary and secondary schools. Our findings suggest that ‘diversity’ must be approached, taught and learned as a lived/living reality, which will account for its highly complex, iterative and dis/located dynamics at the level of individual and communal identities. We articulate this through the concept of ‘living diversity’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the sustainable toughening of polylactic acid (PLA) by incorporating ultrafine fully vulcanized powdered natural rubber graft-copolymerized with poly-styrene-co-acrylonitrile (UFPNR-SAN). We investigated the effect of the styrene-to-acrylonitrile ratio (ST:AN) used during the grafting process on the final UFPNR-SAN compatibility with PLA. The ST:AN ratio was systematically varied during the grafting reaction to prepare UFPNR-SAN with a range of different surface energies. The ST:AN ratio of 4:1 showed the highest compatibility with the PLA matrix, attributed to optimal interfacial interactions and improved dispersion, as indicated by contact angle measurements and SEM observations. This resulted in a remarkable toughening of the PLA/UFPNR-SAN composite. For instance, an obvious fully ductile behavior without crack formation and flexural strain of around 17.5% against 5% of the neat PLA was recorded. In addition, 3.5 times improvement in the impact strength of the composite at 25 wt% dosage of the UFPNR-SAN was also achieved without compromising thermal properties. Overall, this study established the suitable ST:AN ratio on the grafting onto natural rubber to enhance interfacial interactions with PLA and its effects on the properties of the resulting PLA/UFPNR-SAN bio-based composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays technology has practically changed every aspect of language teaching. There are numerous studies focusing on the personality traits of students or other internet users towards the internet utilization. Nonetheless, little research has examined the personality traits of teachers towards using computers for educational purposes especially in the Malaysian context. The purpose of this study was to investigate the motivation and personality traits of TESL postgraduate students in Malaysia towards information and communications technology (ICT) usage in second language teaching. In addition, the relationships between the independent variables (motivation, and personality traits) and the dependent variable (ICT usage) were explored. Then a descriptive-correlational research was employed. A questionnaire survey was developed, reviewed by a panel of experts and its validity and reliability were verified through a pilot study. For the survey, 89 TESL postgraduate students were randomly selected. Moreover, follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted to strengthen the questionnaire survey results. The results indicated that English teachers have high levels of ICT utilization in the general software applications such as Internet, E-mail, presentation, word processing and office work and low levels of ICT usage for specialized software applications such as authoring, graphics and simulations. The results also showed that the participating teachers were highly motivated in teaching language with computers. Furthermore, the results related to the participants' personality traits indicated that they were highly extrovert, agreeable, conscientious, open and moderately neurotic towards ICT usage. The findings of correlation analysis proved that the surveyed teachers' motivation received a slightly moderate and positive relationship with ICT usage. Additionally, the findings of the Pearson correlation coefficient for the relationship between teachers' personality traits and ICT usage showed that generally no correlation exist between the overall personality and ICT usage. In particular the findings showed that only extroverts had a slightly moderate and positive correlation with ICT usage. The interviews responses also verified the questionnaire results. The research results suggest that to develop ICT integration in the educational processes, teacher training computer skills and increasing the computer facilities at schools are required. Finally, implications, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

This paper investigates the value of the social context and its role in learning a second language in different contexts. Social context is believed to be able to influence attitude and motivation. It also provides learning opportunities which give rise to learner's outcomes. In fact, students acquire a language by using it in social interaction with speakers of that language. Nonetheless, significance of social context is mostly ignored or underestimated in most EFL countries because this social context is naturally missing and there is a lack of severe demand for acquiring the second language. Therefore, the final outcome of second language learning is not satisfactory. This paper is a step towards investigating the issues in respect to the social context of EFL countries as an indirect but essential trigger in second language learning. Especially in foreign language classrooms, learners have limited social interaction with their teacher or peers in their target language since that language is not used as a means of communication among them outside or even inside classrooms. Besides investigating the issues, this paper provides suggestions which help improve social contexts in EFL countries.

Using content analysis, this study investigated the coverage of the Trojan Horse news story aiming to ascertain whether its representation by the British press emphasized "Islamist extremism" over "poor school governance". The sample coverage was extracted from five national newspapers and ranged from 9 June (the date of release of the "Ofsted Advice Note") to 26 June 2014. Our analysis shows that the coverage reported evidence of Islamist ideology much more frequently (61.5%) than evidence of poor governance (38.5%). This suggests that the Trojan Horse news story was predominantly represented as a case of Islamist extremism and therefore covered in an unbalanced manner. Such a partial coverage relied on ideological dualisms and negative stereotypes to represent Islam and Muslims, and on the textual strategy of selecting some features (extremism) whilst omitting others (governors' professional misconduct). This bias has arguably diverted attention away from systemic problems within the national school system whilst reinforcing Islamophobic discourses.

This article has two aims. First, it is concerned with a discourse in British media and politics of "Muslim education", a concept that often appears alongside words such as "extremism" and "radicalisation" and contributes to the undue "religification" of people of Muslim backgrounds. I offer a preliminary analysis of this discourse arguing that the description of an educational setting as "Muslim" opens up a social and political space in which certain types of action can occur, including fundamentally undermining the educational integrity of the setting in question. Second, the article considers original ethnographic data from two Iranian "supplementary" schools in London as a way to push beyond a mere critique of Islamophobia towards a new theoretical framework. Drawing in particular on the concept of diaspora, the framework accounts for the highly creative, and potentially innovative, modalities of citizenship and education practice that exist in diasporic communities from Muslim backgrounds. With reference to Thomas' work on the strength of case studies to develop "exemplary knowledge" (rather than abstract theory), I sketch out some ideas for a theory of "diasporic education".

Taking the English National Curriculum as its main example, this article argues that an overly nationalistic, normative and "fact-based" citizenship education curriculum is failing to engage the dimensions of young people's identities which they experience as deeply meaningful. There is thus a chasm--albeit a false one--between official discourses and pedagogies of citizenship and what young people consider to be their "real" selves. I argue that citizenship education must develop a more sophisticated understanding of the complexities of how identities are formed and performed, especially in light of globalisation and increasing migration. I also make a somewhat unorthodox argument for conceptualising "relating-to-otherness" in the same way that we think of music consumption. This has implications for how we experience, interpret, value and create "others". The article also makes some recommendations for how these ideas can begin to be implemented in educational settings.